Incandescent-lamp socket.



No. 698, l33.

Patented Apr". 22, I902. W. H. PERKINS.

INCANDESCENT'LAMP SUGKEL (Application filed Apr. 9, 1901.)

(No Model-J Y 4 MLHHWF W I.

UNITED STATES P TENT CFFICE.

WALTER H. PERKINS, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE I IVATERBURY MFG. 00., OF WATFRBURY, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORA- TION.

INCAND ESC EN T-L'AM P SOCKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 698,133, dated April 22; 1902.

Application filed April 9,1 01. fierial No. 55,069. (No model.)

T aZZwhom/ it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, WALTER H. PERKINS, of

Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and' State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Incandescent Lamp Sockets,

(Case B and I do hereby declare. the follow-- thecontact-plate applied thereto; Fig. 4, a detached perspective view of the contactplate; Fig. 5, a corresponding view of the contact-bracket; Fig. 6, a detached perspective yiew of the spring andterminal bracket; Fig;

7, a perspective View of one form which the key may assume; Fig. 8, a sectional view-of a modified form of the key; Fig. 9, a sectional view of another modified form of the key; Fig. 10, a perspective View of another modified form of the key. I

My invention relates to animprovem'ent in incandescent-lamp sockets, the object being to produce a simple, cheap, effective, and convenient socket adapted with slight modifications to beused with the various kinds of lamps now on the market. 1

With these ends in view my invention consists in certain details of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention I employ a chambered plug 2, of porcelain or other nonconducting material, in which the circuitclosing devices are mounted and in which they are insulated from each other. In the bottom of the'chamber 3 of this plug I locate a spring 4, fixed in position by means of a small bolt 5, passing through a hole formed in the plug and also passing through one arm of the spring, which is made of a piece of sheet I metal'bent upon itself. v The said bolt 5 also passes through and secures firmly in place'a small sheet-metal bracket 6, the outer end of which carries one of the two terminal screws 7, through which the currententers the lamp.

The said plug 2 is formed withan exterior recess 8 for the reception of a sheet-metal contact-bracketQ, secured in place by a screw This 6o 10 and ca'rryingia terminal screw-11. plate is formed with anarm' 12, to which, in the construction now being described, I attacha threaded stud 13, which provides for connecting the lamp 14 with'the socket, the i said lamp being provided. for this purpose with aninternally-threaded sleeve 15', which permits the lamp to be screwed over the stud,

secured to the lower faceof the plug 2 bymeans of screws 18 18 entering the same, as

shown in Fig. 3, is formed witha'central open soas to bring the-contact-ring 16 of the The said contact-plate 17, which is v ing 19 for the downwardpassagethrough it i of. the Stud 13 and with alateralclearanceopening 20 for thereception' of the ar1n12, which must not make any contact with'the plate.

imposed upon'itby the spring4. The key- The said plate is also formedwith fianges21 and 22, formed with slots 23 and 24 for the reception of the key, which is held.

itself may assume a yariety of' forms. My design is to construct it in one or more pieces of non-conducting material andto provide it with a transversely-arranged contact-pin'or some equivalent therefor. As shown in Fig.

7, the key is formed from a single piece of non-conductin g material-such as vulcanized fiber, rubber, porcelaimwood, &c.'and com- I prises a finger-button 25, a body 26, and two trunnions 27 and 28, these several'members being integral with each otherQ In the'bodyf 26 of the key I locate a'transversely-arranged contact-pin 29, which islocated so that when the key is in its normal position the'pin will stand in a plane parallel with the planes of the spring 4: and contact-plate 17 ,and therefore be out of contact with both of them. When, however, the key is turned a quarter.- turn, one end of the pin is brought intoen:

gagement with the spring, while the other end is brought into engagement with the plate, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to close a circuit through the socket and through the lamp. If desired, the free end of the spring may be recessed, as at 30 in Fig. 6, for receivingone end of the spring and locking the key in its closed-circuit position.

If desired, the key may be formed as shown in Fig. 8, in which it is represented as being made in a single piece from some non-conducting material and reinforced by a stifiening-rod 31, which may be a conductor. This key is also furnished with a transversely-arranged contact-pin 32.

In the modified construction shown by Fig. 9 the key is formed from two pieces of nonconducting material, one being the finger button-piece 33 and the other the body-piece 34:, the latter being furnished wit-h a transverselyarranged pin 35. I

In the construction shown by Fig. 10 the key is formed from non-conducting material; but its central or body piece 36 is made fiat instead of square in cross-section and encompassed bya metal band 37, the ends of which are brought into contact with the spring and plate when the key is turned so as to bring the major axis of the body into line between i the said parts, from which the metal point is: cleared when the key is turned so as to bring Still its minor axis between the said parts. other modifications of the key might be resorted to.

The provision of my improved socket with the threaded stud 13 is to adapt it to a lamp of the Thomson-Houston type; but for other types of lamps, such as the Edison lamp and the Westinghouse lamp, the said stud would be dispensed with and the contact made between the lamp and the arm 12 of the bracket 9, which might then be modified in form. I would therefore have it understood that I do not limit myself to the exact details of construction herein shown and described, but hold myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a lamp-socket, the combination with a non-conducting plug formed with a chamber, of a spring located within and secured to the floor of the said chamber, a contact-plate secured to the plug at the open end thereof so as to close the said chamber, and formed with a central opening and a lateral opening and with key-bearings, a contact-bracket secured to the outside of the plug, entering the said openings and carrying a terminal screw, and also carrying a threaded stud which extends through the said central opening and provides for the attachment of a lamp a portion of which impinges against the outer face of the said plate; and a key having bearing in the bearings of said contact-plate.

2. In alamp-socket, the combination with a non-conducting plug having a chamber, of a spring located within and secured to the floor of the chamber, a bracket secured to the out-- side of the plug, carrying a terminal screw and connected with the said spring, a contactplate secured to the plug over the open end thereof and formed with a central opening and a lateral opening and with key-bearings, a contact-bracket secured to the outside of the plug and carrying the other terminal screw and also carrying a threaded stud which extends through the said central opening and provides for the application of the lamp which impinges against the outer surface of the said plate, and a key having bearing in the said plate and provided with a contact-piece which, when the key is properly turned, makes a connection between the said spring and the said con tact-plate.

3. Akey forincandescent-lamp sockets consisting of one or more pieces of non-conducting material and provided with a transverselyarranged contact piece opposite points of which are brought into play for closing the circuit through the socket, the said contactpiece being entirely insulated from the body of the key.

4. A key for incandescent-lamp sockets, consisting of one or more pieces of non-conducting material, and provided with a transverselyarranged contactpin the opposite ends of which are brought into play for closing a circuit through the socket when the key is turned a quarter-turn.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WALTER n. PERKINS.

\Vitnesses:

ADOLPH O. BECKER, EDWARD II. MARSHALL. 

